Septic facility gives new life to Waushacum Village

Waushacum Village Homeowners Village President Chuck Locke in front of the new septic facility. Danielle Ray photo Eleven years in the making, the Waushacum Village septic treatment facility is now completed thanks to the hard work and tenacity of Village Homeowners Association President Chuck Locke, numerous town officials and departments, and an $880,000 state loan/grant the association received for the project.

"The septic goes in, it is treated, and it comes out and it is almost clear water. It is a very simple-to-operate unit. We hired an operator to check it once a month. It pretty much runs itself," said Locke, who has lived in the Village since 1980.

The project totaled $2.9 million, and Locke said the Village had to sell development rights to acreage in the area to help defray costs. Five acres of that land was given back to the Village by the state to house the septic facility, said Locke.

Locke said a $653,000 Community Block Development Grant the Village also received went toward the septic facility. Other funding was used for putting in water pipes and rehabbing the area around the station.

The facility is a Bioclere by Aqua Point brand unit that pumps up to 15,000 gallons of waste a day and connects 74 homes in the village. Three large leach fields surround the facility.

"It feels great. It is like a relief. When you are talking about septic, and you are in reservoir zones, you begin to get nervous. You just work on it, and work on it, and the town helped us a lot," said Locke.

A letter received recently from the Department of Environmental Protection finalized the project, stating that the facility is in compliance with all Title 5 codes and laws.

This is the second bit of good news for homeowners in the Village. Changes in land ownership in early 2008 allowed a large number of the residents to finally purchase the land their homes sit on outright; it had previously been owned by the Camp Meeting Association. Homeowners can now refinance and apply for mortgages, and use the money to renovate their homes.

Money collected from the sale of land to the homeowners was put toward the septic facility.

"We sold lots to the homeowners, and spent a considerable amount of that money on the project," said Locke.

The Village has seen something of a rebirth, he said.

"The residents are happy. The roads are like brand new. The house across from me, some guy bought it and tore it down to build one within the restrictions. People are really working on their places; there are new houses here now. People are doing well," Locke said.

"I would like to see more places rehabbed and more people qualify for [grants and loans]. We are not looking that far into the future. We have accomplished something, and we get to stay here."